Now two weeks into his tenure as Wauconda's police chief, Patrick Yost acknowledged the leadership change was unusually dramatic.

Yost, 48, of Wauconda, replaced Douglas Larsson as the town's top cop. After Mayor Frank Bart announced his intent to force out Larsson and appoint Yost this spring, residents packed meetings to voice their outrage.

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Some launched a "keep the chief" campaign. Larsson even briefly tried fighting his dismissal -- but the efforts were in vain.

Yost, most recently a sergeant with the department, was sworn in as chief Aug. 31, the same day Larsson left. The controversy has died down since.

"I think the focus was mainly on Doug Larsson leaving," Yost said in an email interview with the Daily Herald. "Consequently, this change of command has been more dramatic than those I've seen over the years."

Raised in Gurnee, Yost became a cop at 19, first serving in the U.S. Army military police.

He later worked at the Gurnee and Grayslake police departments, first as a dispatcher, before joining the Wauconda Police Department in 1989.

Yost rose to deputy chief in 2005 before returning to the rank of sergeant in 2010.

Larsson had been chief since 2009. Bart said he wanted Larsson gone to cut costs.

Bart said Yost was his first choice for the job because of his reputation for integrity. Bart also said Yost is respected by the department's officers, having served 16 years on the pension board.

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